CECA case study charts Jones Bros ground works on 45m-deep made ground at North Kyle Wind Farm

The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) has featured Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK's work on the 49-turbine North Kyle Wind Farm for Brockwell Energy Limited in its latest 30 Projects for 30 Years case study.

The trade body said the former opencast coal mining site presented made ground extending to depths of up to 45 metres. Jones Bros worked with Tony Gee and Menard UK on ground improvement solutions that, according to CECA, helped deliver the project to programme and budget.

CECA said the wind farm's expected annual generation is equivalent to the electricity needs of more than 183,000 households. Brockwell's own project page gives the same figure, although the developer's September 2026 announcement that the scheme was fully operational put it at around 186,600 homes.

Jones Bros was appointed principal contractor for the scheme in East Ayrshire, according to its project page. Brockwell named the firm, which it called Jones Bros Ruthin (Civil Engineering) Limited, as preferred contractor for balance of plant works on 2 March 2023.

Alex Lambie, CEO of Brockwell Energy, said at the time: "We are delighted to partner with Jones Bros, whose proven track record in wind farm construction aligns perfectly".

The works

Jones Bros said its scope covered 49 reinforced concrete foundations, excavation and backfilling for cabling, and the installation of more than 300,000m of 33kV cable. The contractor built 24km of new access tracks and upgraded a further 20km to allow turbine and transformer deliveries.

Enabling works included the SP Energy Networks substation platform and a construction compound, Jones Bros said.

CECA said the team sourced construction materials on site to cut transport requirements, reused surplus peat across 24 hectares of former opencast land and landscaped more than 59 hectares of opencast backfill. The project provided employment and training opportunities for 356 people, including trainees and higher apprentices, according to the trade body.

Jones Bros said the scheme won Project of the Year and Onshore Construction Project of the Year at the National Wind Energy Awards, where the firm was also named Tier 1 Contractor of the Year. The contractor said judges cited the controlled modulus columns and dynamic compaction used at North Kyle, which Jones Bros described as the first use of dynamic compaction on a UK wind farm.

The scheme

Brockwell said North Kyle provides 220.5 MW of renewable generating capacity. Jones Bros put the value of the scheme at £300 million.

Planning consent was granted in 2021, according to Brockwell. The wind farm first exported to the grid on 2 April 2025, when Turbine 54 was brought into operation after a day of energisation, system switching and final checks, the developer said.

Brockwell announced on 18 September 2026 that the wind farm was fully operational. Iain Cockburn, Development Director at Brockwell Energy, said: "North Kyle is a particularly important project for Brockwell Energy."

The developer estimates £65 million of indexed community benefit funding over the project's operational life, alongside an estimated £2.6 million of site restoration improvements and £600,000 committed to planting native broadleaf trees.

Background

CECA launched the 30 Projects for 30 Years series to mark its 30th anniversary, saying it would highlight the schemes that have built Britain since the body's foundation.

Jones Bros cites a track record of 59 wind farms.